Pain and love
by Skovko
Summary: Five years ago Roman left the love of his life because he could no longer stand her ex constantly lurking in the shadows and hurting them both. She was never gonna tell her ex to back off, so Roman chose to end it to save his own feelings. Now five years later he runs into her again, and not much has changed, his feelings included. This time he won't let her get away again.
1. Five years later

"What was the name of that woman you used to date five years ago? The one with that crazy ex boyfriend from college who always moved in and out of her life?" Dean asked.  
"Iris," Roman answered. "She broke my heart many times, and I still find myself missing her sometimes, even after all these years."  
"Yeah, about that," Dean said.  
"What?" Roman asked.  
"She's coming our way, and she doesn't look too good," Dean said.

They were sitting on a stone railing, enjoying the sun and an iced coffee each. Dean was looking past Roman, and Roman turned his head after Dean's last words. As Dean had said, Iris was moving towards them, but it didn't look like she had spotted them. She was just walking in that direction, and Dean had been right. She didn't look too good. Her bottom lip was split, and dried blood was on her chin. People stared as she passed, but she continued forward. Roman stood up with a sigh and blocked her path.

"Do you mind?" She asked.  
"Actually I do," he answered.  
"Roman?" She looked up at his face. "Wow, hi. It's been a while."

Those deep green eyes had been on his mind many times over the years. He never thought he'd actually look into them again. She had dyed her hair a darker brown, but it looked good on her.

"Five years," he reminded her.  
"That long, huh?" She said. "You look good though."  
"You don't," he gently grabbed her chin to inspect the damage. "What happened?"  
"Just a random fight. I'm good," she said.  
"Good," he sighed. "Still using that word to cover up your feelings?"

She gave him a hard look that clearly said it was none of his business. Just like it was never any of his business either, back when it actually was his business. They had been together a little over a year, and he had tried so hard with her. Back then he knew she was the one, but she constantly pushed him away. She never wanted to talk about anything deep, and she seemed to think that whatever pain was given to her, she deserved.

Most pain came from that crazy ex who didn't quite understand that he was an ex. He never harassed Roman or came around his house, but he was always there, lurking in the shadows, making her talk to him and keep him in her life. Roman never even met the guy. He suspected she might even have cheated with her ex, but he wasn't sure.

In the end he had let her go. Wounded and heartbroken. He had committed to work and never dated another woman. One night stands was one thing, and he had a lot of those, but a relationship was something he never wanted again. Not as long as he was still hurting. Seeing her again ripped open all the old wounds, and once again he just wanted to protect her and hold her close.

"Look, I still live in that same house. It's not too far from here. Let's go there and get you cleaned up," he said.  
"Iced coffee?" She pointed at his plastic cup.  
"Yeah," he smiled.  
"Thanks," she took the cup from him. "Let's go."

The iced coffee seemed like a small sacrifice to make her go with him. He could always go back and buy another, but if he let her go now, he might not ever see her again. Dean followed behind without a word. His normally chatty friend had nothing to say in that moment.

They arrived to Roman's house 10 minutes later, and she walked out to the bathroom to clean up her lip, and get the dried blood off her chin. Someone cleared their throat, and she looked towards the door to see Dean standing there with his arms crossed.

"How have you been, Dean?" She asked.  
"Good, good," he answered. "It took some time though to finally get Roman to leave his house after you, but I didn't give up on him unlike others."  
"He left me," she reminded him.  
"And why was that again?" He asked. "Oh right, Dolph. What was his last name? Zigzag? Zodiac?"  
"Ziggler," she said.  
"Ziggler. Right," he said.  
"What do you want from me?" She sighed.  
"Don't hurt him again," he said.  
"Don't worry, I'm not planning on staying," she said.

Roman appeared next to Dean, and both of them stopped their conversation.

"I've prepared lunch," he said.  
"I'm not staying," she said.  
"Please, Iris. It's just lunch," he said.

She looked in his eyes, and they were pleading with her to stay. So much sadness was inside them, but there was also a touch of hope. She never could say no to those eyes.

"Fine," she sighed. "Lunch."  
"Great," he flashed her a big smile.

He walked back to the kitchen, and she walked over to Dean.

"A little help would have been nice," she said lowly.  
"I didn't say you couldn't stay. I said you couldn't hurt him again," he said. "He never got over you. Five fucking years, and you're still the one for him, so at least have the decency to be kind to him right now."  
"Yeah, sure," she said.  
"I've always liked you, Iris," he grabbed her arm gently. "You're not a bad person. Dolph was the one fucking with your mind, and that made you fuck with Roman's mind, but that's all in the past."  
"Yeah, in the past," she swallowed. "Lunch, Dean."

He let go of her arm, and they walked out in the kitchen where Roman had set the table for all three of them. It didn't go unnoticed to Dean that Roman seemed a bit nervous and also weirdly hopeful by having her there. He could only hope his best friend wouldn't end up heartbroken again.

It was mostly Roman and Dean talking over the table while they ate lunch. She answered when asked, but she tried not to say too much. She finished eating fast and stood up. She rinsed her plate with water, and put it in the dishwasher.

"This was nice, lunch and catching up with you, but I really gotta go," she said.  
"Where do you live these days?" Roman asked.

There was a small pause while she thought it through. A small pause, but long enough for the guys to know something wasn't right.

"I'm in between homes right now, but I'm crashing with a friend," she said.

She was lying. With all the pain she brought back in the days, she used to lie a lot too. Roman could always tell her lies from truths.

"Stay," he said.  
"I can't," she said.  
"Iris," he stood up. "Please, stay. Just for tonight."  
"I'm not fucking you," she said.  
"I'm not asking you to," he sighed. "I'll make up the couch for you."

She looked at Dean who nodded in return. He had meant what he said in the bathroom. She was allowed to be around Roman as long as she didn't hurt him.

"No personal questions," she looked at Roman again. "No diving into the past and reliving old memories."  
"We can watch movies or play video games. Anything you want," he said.  
"And you're making pasta for dinner," she said.

He laughed at that demand. She used to love his creamy pasta dish.

"We gotta go shopping first then, but sure, I'll make that for you," he said.  
"Okay. One night," she nodded. "Do you have any painkillers? My head hurts."  
"Same cabinet as always," he pointed.

She took out the bottle and swallowed one of the pills. She didn't notice Roman moving up behind her until she felt his hand on the back of her head. She hissed in pain as he gently tried running his fingers through her hair.

"You got dried blood in your hair. I couldn't see it for the dark colour," he said.  
"It's not my blood. I head-butted the other person in the fight. I totally won," she said.

He wanted to ask so badly, especially since the head-butt had been from the back of her head, but he had just agreed to no personal questions. Instead he placed his hands on her shoulders, and leaned his head down next to hers. She felt his lips close to her ear, and a shiver ran through her body. He still had that effect on her.

"Take a shower," he said.

She went back to the bathroom, and as soon as the door closed behind her, Roman and Dean looked at each other.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Dean asked.  
"Not a clue," Roman answered.


	2. Following behind

Roman woke up early next morning. It had been a weird day yesterday. They had played video games that afternoon, and watched movies that night after dinner. The conversation had been kept light. Nothing personal. He had done as she asked. He still felt drawn to her like five years ago, and judging by the looks she thought she was stealing of him without him knowing, she still felt something too.

He left the bed, and didn't bother with getting dressed. It was way too early for her to be awake, and it was his house after all. If he wanted to run around in his boxers, he was allowed. He just needed to put over a pot of coffee, and then he'd hit the shower while it brewed.

He had to walk through the living room to get to the kitchen, and to his surprise she sat on the couch fully dressed. Her eyes ran up and down his body, taking in everything she hadn't seen in five years.

"You... Ehm..." She cleared her throat. "You look great. Still, I mean. You still look great. You looked great back then too. Not that I'm _looking _looking. But I'm looking, and you look great. And I'm rambling right now. Sorry."

He laughed and shook his head lightly. It was cute that he still could get to her like that. There was a blush in her cheeks, and all he wanted to do in that moment was to kiss her, push her down on that couch, and fuck her senseless. Instead he pushed his inner caveman aside and acted normal.

"I was about to put over some coffee," he said. "How's your head today?"  
"Still aching," she said.

He walked over to inspect the back of her head. Again she hissed in pain.

"Yeah, you got a small bump back here," he chuckled. "Whoever you chose to head-butt like that must have deserved it."  
"He wouldn't let me go," she said.  
"Who?" He asked.  
"He locked us in the bedroom. He wouldn't give me the key for the door. Instead he punched me in the face. He grabbed me, and we landed on the bed. I threw my head backwards as hard as I could. Judging by the crack I heard, I broke his nose. He let go, and I jumped out of the window," she said.  
"Who?" He asked again.  
"No one," she sighed. "I shouldn't have told you. My problems aren't your problems."  
"You're pushing me away again," he sighed.  
"Yeah, so?" She asked angrily.

She stood up from the couch, grabbed her phone and wallet from the table, and stared at him.

"As I recall, you left me," she said.  
"I was hurting," he said.  
"So was I!" She yelled. And you didn't wanna fight for me! You didn't even care!"  
"Hey!" He shouted loudly. "That's not fair! Don't tell me, I didn't fucking care! I fought for you day and night, but you kept pushing me away! You kept letting that bastard into your life! I don't even know what you did with him behind my back!"

She slapped him hard. His cheek stung like crazy. She had not been holding back.

"I never cheated on you!" She sneered.

He could always tell her lies and truths apart, and this wasn't a lie. It was the truth. He had never asked back then. He had suspected it, but he had never dared to ask. Now he knew he should have asked. She never cheated on him.

"I loved you, Roman, but I didn't know how to do things. All I ever knew was Dolph. He was my first everything, and I know it's fucking poison for me to be with him, but I don't know what else to do. I'm never gonna be good enough for someone like you, and I tried to tell you that from the beginning. I kept pushing you away, so that it would be easier for you to move on," she said.  
"Princess," he said.  
"Don't you dare!" She warned him. "This is not a fairytale, Roman. It's our lives. I'm never gonna be that pink, sparkling, happy princess, you wanted me to be. I'm damaged. I'm trash. The right thing to do was to give you up."

He reached for her, but she sidestepped him. She was out of the living room fast, but he wasn't gonna let her go. Not again. He ran to his bedroom, threw a pair of sweatpants and a pair of sneakers on. His grabbed a t-shirt and ran out of his house, pulling on the last piece of clothing while following behind at a safe distance. He needed to see where she was going.

It took a while, but finally she turned into a neighbourhood. The houses were small, one of the cheap neighbourhoods in town, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was figuring out where she lived. She walked into a house, and two minutes later anger ran through his body as he stared at the two names on the mailbox.

**Dolph Ziggler**  
**Iris Park**

Five years later, and she was still with that bastard. She might not have cheated on Roman, but she had still ended up with that bastard Dolph, and they were living together. It wasn't hard to figure out she had been talking about Dolph this morning when she told the story of head-butting someone. That bastard had put his hands on her, and Roman wasn't gonna sit by silently and watch her world burn. Not anymore.

The front door opened again, but it wasn't her coming out. Instead it was a man whose nose was swollen and looked like it had been punched hard. Roman and Dolph had never officially met, but Roman knew this was Dolph. This was the bastard.

"Who are you?" Dolph asked.  
"I was looking for someone," Roman answered.  
"Who?" Dolph asked.

Iris appeared next to Dolph, and she shook her head lightly.

"Wrong address," Roman said.  
"Piss off then!" Dolph growled before turning to Iris. "Get back inside!"

The tone in Dolph's voice made Roman see red inside. He wasn't gonna let the bastard put his hands on her again. Not ever.

"You know what, it's not the wrong address," he said.  
"Excuse me?" Dolph asked.

Roman walked up the small pathway and stopped in front of them.

"Iris, I'm begging you. Please, come with me," he said.  
"You know this man?" Dolph looked at her.  
"It's Roman," she said.  
"Wait a minute, that Roman? That asshole you left me for?" He sneered.  
"That'll be me," Roman grinned. "Iris, please. I'm not asking you to come back to me. I'm asking you to let me help you get away from him."  
"Just go, Roman," she sighed.  
"No!" He stood his ground. "This morning you told me I didn't fight for you. I'm fighting for you right fucking now, princess, but you gotta help me here. It all starts with you telling him no."  
"This morning? You were with him this morning? Did you fuck him? Did you fuck him, you fucking whore?" Dolph shouted.

Dolph grabbed her, but he was yanked away instantly by Roman.

"You don't fucking touch her!" Roman growled.  
"Hey!" She pushed them apart. "Dolph, inside! Roman, leave!"  
"Iris," Roman tried.  
"I said leave!" She raised her voice. "I got this. Just fucking leave, Roman. Please."

She slammed the door in his face, and he was left there brokenhearted all over again. It was the same old pain that he knew all too well. It hadn't disappeared over the years, but he had learned to push it down and live with it. Now it was flaming up all over again.

He turned around and walked back home. There was nothing more he could do in that moment. He couldn't be trespassing. She had told him to leave, so he left. He left her again, only this time it wasn't for good. He wasn't gonna allow her to throw her life away for that bastard.


	3. It begins with a no

Roman had spent the rest of the Sunday trying to come up with something. It didn't matter how many plans he tried running through his head. In the end it all came down to her. She had to say no to Dolph. She had to walk away. She had done it once before, so she could do it again.

He walked into work Monday morning. Dean was already there, waiting for Roman to bring coffee from their favourite place like he did every morning. Roman handed Dean one of the cups and sat down.

They had started this business together right after college. They were designing and building smaller buildings for people. Sheds, garages, carports. Things like that. That was actually how he had met Iris. One day she had walked in, talking about her boyfriend wanting a carport. Of course they had never gotten around to build a carport for that boyfriend, the bastard Dolph, because Roman had stolen her away from the other man. They had both fallen in love that day, and it had went from there. Like a fairytale it seemed at first, but Roman quickly learned that every fairytale has a dark twist and a villain.

"So?" Dean asked.  
"So?" Roman looked confused.  
"How was your weekend?" Dean grinned.  
"It fucking sucked," Roman sat down. "She's living with Dolph, and he's putting his hands on her. He was the one giving her that lip."  
"What?" Dean stared in disbelief. "After all these years..."  
"She still ended up with him," Roman finished the sentence with a sigh. "I lost her to him, and now I'm taking her back, or at least away from him."  
"Roman," Dean tried.  
"No, my mind's made up. You didn't see what I saw. She's not in love with him. She wasn't back then either. She's scared, and she thinks this is all she deserves. He's spent years making her believe she's worth nothing, so she stays with him because at least she knows that hell and that devil," Roman said.

Dean smirked at Roman. Same old Roman, still in love with her.

"So what? You're gonna be her angel?" He chuckled.  
"No, I'm gonna be a man treating her normal," Roman said. "If she'll let me."  
"She will," Dean said.  
"I wish I could be sure," Roman said.  
"She still loves you, Roman. It was clear to me Saturday. And I agree with everything you just said. She's scared, and for some reason she doesn't think she deserves any better," Dean said. "But you and I know better, don't we? She deserves you."  
"She deserves me," Roman smiled. "She fucking deserves me!"

He jumped up from his seat, swallowed down the remains of his coffee, and threw the cup in the trash.

"You can handle this for an hour, right?" He asked.  
"Of course. Where are you going?" Dean asked.  
"If I'm lucky she still works at the library," Roman answered.  
"Go get her, tiger!" Dean laughed.

So many times Roman had wanted to walk into the library over the last five years, just to see if she was okay. He never went though. It would hurt too much to see her, and he didn't have an excuse. He wasn't much of a reader, and she knew that. He took a deep breath as he walked into the building. He spotted her right away. She was sitting behind the counter, reading a book. She wore a bright red lipstick, trying to cover up her bruised lip with makeup, but it didn't work.

"Excuse me, miss," he said.

She snapped her head up by the sound of his voice.

"I was wondering if you could help me," he said.  
"Roman," she sighed.  
"I was looking for something, and I know you have it here," he continued.  
"Fine," she crossed her arms. "What are you looking for?"  
"You," he said.

She rolled her eyes, and he smirked in return.

"I can't do this," she said.  
"Yes, you can," he said.  
"Please, leave," she said.  
"Not until you talk to me," he said.  
"Fine, follow me," she said.

He followed her into a room in the back where they could talk privately. She crossed her arms again and stared at him.

"Talk!" She demanded.  
"Why are you living with him?" He asked.  
"Because I am," she answered.  
"Okay, we're going with the hard way once again. Nothing new there. So you bought a house together, and..." He said.  
"No," she cut him off. "It's his house. I live there from time to time. He put my name on the mailbox. I don't always live there."

He tried wrapping his mind around it, but he couldn't.

"What does that mean?" He asked.  
"We've been on and off since college. You know this. You've seen it first hand how hard it is for me to escape him. Sometimes I get away, but he always convinces me to come back," she said.  
"How?" He asked.  
"He can be quite the smooth talker," she answered.

She sighed deeply, and stopped crossing her arms. Instead she let them down, and she looked tired and defeated.

"I don't have much self confidence, Roman. I never did. That's what made it so easy for him to get with me," she said.  
"And whatever little self confidence you actually did have, he took it away," he said.  
"I wanted to be seen. I wanted to be loved," she said.  
"I loved you," he placed his hands on her cheeks. "I still do. Even after all these years, even after all the pain and heartbreak, I still love you."  
"I don't deserve you," she whispered.  
"Yes, you do," he whispered back. "You deserve me and so much more. You deserve the world, and I'll give it to you."

He didn't care about anything but her in that moment. He knew he was crossing the line, especially since she was at work, but he needed to feel her lips against his own again. He leaned in for a kiss. It was soft at first, almost experimental, but when she wrapped her arms around him, he deepened it and gently pushed her up against the nearest wall. The world disappeared around them for several seconds as the kiss became heated and greedy. None of them could get enough. She was the first one to come back to reality.

"No!" She pushed him away. "I can't do this. I'm not a cheater."  
"You're not his girlfriend either. He treats you like trash," he said.  
"I am trash," she said.  
"Ssh princess," he said. "Don't let his words come out of your mouth."  
"It's too late for us, Roman," she said.  
"I don't agree. I'm right here, Iris. Right here in front of you," he said. "All you gotta do is take the step. Come with me. Stand up to him, and tell him no."  
"It's not that easy," she said.  
"It really is," he said.  
"I gotta get back to work," she said.

She fixed her lipstick in a small mirror that hung on the wall. She walked out of the room, and he followed behind. Before she could walk back to the counter, he gently grabbed her arm.

"I'm still here," he said. "I'll always be here. I'll be waiting for you for as long as it takes."

He let go of her arm, and she walked back to the counter. He walked out of the library and went back to work.

"Any luck?" Dean asked.  
"We talked," Roman answered. "I told her I still love her, and that I'll wait for her."  
"You should have kidnapped her," Dean joked.  
"Yeah, that'll be plan B," Roman joked back. "I hate that bastard."  
"Dolph?" Dean asked.  
"Who else? Such a tough guy putting his hands on a woman, but he looked fucking scared yesterday when he came face to face with me. He's a coward. He never dared coming close to me back then either. He walked into the library where she couldn't run from him, and he kept pouring his poison down on her," Roman said.  
"Do you think she's with him to keep him away from her work? Maybe it's easier for her to deal with him alone rather than have him come and go that way. Imagine always having someone stalk you at work like that, and you can't do a damn thing about it," Dean said.  
"I never thought about it that way," Roman said. "That's gotta be it."  
"By the way, you got lipstick on your face," Dean chuckled.

Dolph was leaving the house when Iris came back. They met in front of the mailbox, and he leaned in for a kiss.

"I'm going out with the guys. I'll be back late," he said.  
"What about work tomorrow?" She asked.  
"I'm calling in sick," he said.  
"Your boss warned you," she said.  
"He can fucking fire me if he wants. We still got your paycheck. We'll get by until I find something else. I hate that job anyway," he said. "I'll see you later."

She watched him get into his car and drive away. She should go inside, but instead she stared at the mailbox. She never wanted her name on it in the first place. She never wanted to live there. She started scratching at the sticker until her name was gone. Roman's words from yesterday kept ringing inside her head.

_"It all starts with you telling him no."_

"No," she whispered.

Nothing bad happened by saying it. She looked around, almost expecting Dolph to come back and yell at her.

"No," she said a bit louder.

Still nothing. Dolph wasn't coming back. Of course not. He couldn't hear her. She walked into the house and looked around. She felt like a stranger in this place. A stranger who was lost and hadn't been able to find her way out.

"No!" She yelled. "No, Dolph! I don't fucking love you! You don't deserve me! No, fucking no!"


	4. Finally home

The sound of a car horn followed by car doors made Roman move to the window in his living room. It was early evening, and the sun was slowly setting. There was a cab outside, and the driver and his passenger had their hands and faces down in the trunk, throwing stuff out on the ground. Clothes and other items. He realized it could only be one person, and he ran out of his house. She smiled at him as he came running, and he wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm happy to see you too," she chuckled.  
"Princess," he looked at her. "You don't believe in bags?"  
"I don't own any bags, and I needed to get out. It was now or never," she said.

The cab driver closed the trunk, got back into his car and drove away. Roman helped her carry everything inside. They worked together to find space for her things. Finally done, he ordered a pizza, and they sat down together.

"I finally told him no," she said.  
"I'm proud of you," he said.  
"Well, I didn't exactly say it to his face, but he'll get the message when he comes home," she said.  
"What did you do?" He asked.  
"That lipstick I wore earlier," she smirked. "I wrote the word 'no' all over the walls until it broke in my fit of rage."

He chuckled at that. Dolph deserved it.

"I know I hurt you back then, Roman," she took his hand. "And you didn't deserve it. You still don't. You deserve to be happy."  
"You make me happy," he said.  
"I don't expect you to believe me, but things have changed. I have changed. I got more willpower to fight this time around, but I need you by my side," she said.  
"Always and forever," he said.  
"It's not gonna be easy," she said.  
"I know," he kissed her hand. "But as long as you promise not to give up, I promise to be there all the way."  
"I promise," she said. "I'm really tired. Can we go to bed?"

She might be tired, but she couldn't find any rest inside. She tossed and turned for nearly half an hour.

"Alright, I give up," he pulled her close. "Lie still, princess. You're keeping me awake."  
"I'm sorry. So many things are going on in my head," she said.  
"I can only imagine," he kissed her temple. "I can make you stop thinking all together if you'll let me."

She could see his grin through the darkness, and he ran his fingertips just under the hem of her panties. A shiver went through her.

"Princess?" He asked. "Do you want me to continue?"  
"I'm gonna kill you if you don't," she said.  
"A simple 'yes' would have been enough," he chuckled.

He kissed her while his hand went all the way down her panties. He started running slow circles on her clit, hearing her moan lightly, and feeling her run her hands up and down his back. He moved his hand further down and pushed two fingers inside her. Her moans went up right away.

"Mmm, princess," he kissed down her neck. "So wet."  
"God, I missed you!" She moaned. "Fuck, Roman. You still got that magic touch. Don't stop."

He pulled his fingers out of her and out of her panties.

"Why did you stop?" She complained.

He sucked on his fingers, and then grinned at her through the darkness again.

"Patience," he chuckled.  
"Five years," she reminded him.  
"And that's exactly why I'm doing this. It's been too long," he said.

He pushed her t-shirt up and got her out of it. He took a few seconds to cherish each one of her nipples, dragging out some more moans by doing so, and then started kissing down her stomach. He pulled her panties off, pushed her legs apart, and settled between them.

"Roman!" She whimpered. "Please!"  
"I'm getting there," he chuckled.

His tongue ran over her skillfully, and she closed her eyes with a loud moan. He had never forgotten how she reacted to him, and everything was just like five years ago. She kept a hand in his hair while the other one clenched at the sheets. He pushed two fingers inside her again without breaking contact with his tongue. After a while she started pulling on his hair, her way of telling him she was seconds away. Her walls caved in, squeezed his fingers tight, as she cried out in pleasure.

"I missed hearing you moan," he said. "You always sound so good."  
"Roman," she reached for him.

He kissed his way up her body again, ending with her lips. He kissed down her jaw and up to her temple.

"Are the thoughts gone?" He asked.  
"What thoughts?" She grinned.  
"That's my girl," he chuckled.  
"I want you," she said.  
"I'm right here," he said.  
"No," she stuck her hand down his boxers and closed it around his dick. "I want this. I want you. Now, please."

How could he say no to that? He couldn't, and he wouldn't. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand out of his boxers before getting them off entirely and rolling on top of her.

"Still on the pill?" He asked.  
"You got a memory like a goldfish. You put them in the drawer in the bathroom," she said.  
"Oh yeah," he remembered. "Well then..."

He pushed into her, burying himself inside her as deep as he could, both of them letting out a loud moan.

"I love you, princess," he kissed her again.  
"I love you too, Roman," she said. "Please, move. Fuck me like you used to. I need it so bad."

He grabbed both her hands in his, holding them down on the bed on either side of her head. She wanted to be fucked senseless, so she would be fucked senseless. He pulled out and pushed into her again, setting the crazy pace that always had her moaning like an angel. Fast out, hard in. Again and again.

"Roman! Baby!" She cried. "Right there!"

She tilted her head back and cried out. Her fingernails dug into the back of his hands. He bit back the pain, watching her come undone. When she was done, he let go of her hands. He pushed an arm under her head, buried his face in the crook of her neck, biting and kissing while continuing his thrusts. She ran her nails down his back, digging them into his ass when he made her cum again. He hissed at the delightful pain, burying his teeth in her neck as he came too.

For a minute they laid still, catching their breath, caressing each other. He finally rolled down next to her and pulled her into his arms. He knew they should get out of bed. The sheets would be wet now that he was no longer inside her. It didn't matter in that second though. It could wait another minute or two before he had to change them, and they would have to clean themselves up a bit. His princess was finally home again.


	5. Happiness

Waking up Tuesday morning with her in his arms was the best feeling in the world. She had always fit perfectly in his arms. She snuggled closer to him and kissed his jaw. He lowered his head and captured her lips.

"Eew, morning breath," she giggled.  
"Good morning to you too, princess," he chuckled.

She opened her eyes and smiled at him.

"I can't believe I'm actually here. I'm scared that I'll wake up, and it was all just a dream," she said.  
"Believe it," he placed her hand over his heart. "You can feel it beating. It's real. You're here. We're together."  
"Can we stay here all day?" She asked.  
"I'm afraid not," he pecked her nose. "We have jobs to do. We're working on some sketches for a custom made gazebo. The customer wants it Egyptian inspired, like a mini pyramid of some sort, but with it still being open like a gazebo."  
"Sounds like a challenge," she said.  
"It is, but I love it," he said.

She sighed and rolled over on her back. Her eyes focused on an invisible spot in the ceiling.

"What's wrong?" He asked.  
"Dolph," she sighed. "He'll come by the library at some point. Maybe not today, maybe not even this week, but he'll be there, and he won't go away until I agree to come home with him."  
"Any sign of him, and you text me 'SOS'. I'll know what it means, and I'll drop everything. I'll come running as fast as I can," he said.  
"I love you, baby," she pulled him close for a kiss.  
"You were right," he chuckled. "Eew, morning breath."

Roman hummed a happy tune when he walked into work, and handed Dean his coffee.

"Why are you looking like you got laid?" Dean asked.  
"Because I did," Roman grinned.  
"With who?" Dean asked. "No, wait. Iris? Please, tell me it's Iris."  
"It's Iris," Roman confirmed.  
"Fuck, yes! At long last!" Dean said.

Iris had been at work for three hours when that familiar blonde hair walked in. She quickly grabbed her phone that already had 'SOS' written in a text with Roman's number as receiver. She pressed send before Dolph had made his way over to her.

"Fuck!" Roman stared at the text. "I gotta go!"  
"Where to?" Dean asked.  
"Dolph's at the library," Roman grabbed his car keys. "Remember when you asked if we could hire a secretary, and I was against it? I've changed my mind."  
"Bring her in," Dean smiled.

Dolph leaned an arm on the counter and smirked at her.

"Hi honey," he said.  
"What are you doing here?" She asked.  
"I was wondering what time you'll be home today," he said.  
"I'm not coming back," she said.  
"Yes, you are," he said.

His eyes darkened like many times before, but he restrained himself since they were in a public place.

"I was drunk out of mind when I came home last night, so I didn't even realize you were gone. Thanks a lot for the notice," he said. "You did leave some amazing graffiti on my walls though which you'll be cleaning yourself."  
"Please, leave," she said.  
"If I'm not mistaken, I got every right to be here. It's a library. I'm gonna stay here all day, and then we'll walk home together," he said.  
"Go to work, please," she said.  
"I got fired when I called in sick this morning. Looks like we have to live off your paycheck for a while," he said.  
"There's no we, Dolph," she said.  
"Care to repeat that?" He asked.

He leaned over the counter, trying to threaten her by towering above her. He whimpered in pain when someone grabbed his upper arm in an iron grip. He turned his head and stared at an angry Samoan.

"You heard her!" Roman growled.  
"Please," Dolph begged. "This is between me and her."  
"Not anymore," Roman looked at her. "Are you okay?"  
"Yeah," she nodded.  
"Stay here. I'll be right back," he said.

He kept his iron grip on Dolph, forcing the blonde man out of the library. Outside he pulled him close, so they were almost nose to nose.

"This is your only warning, bastard. Stay away from her, or I'll make sure the rest of your bones match that broken nose," he said.  
"Please!" Dolph whimpered.  
"You're so fucking pathetic!" Roman squeezed even tighter. "You got no problem hitting a woman, but look at you when you're in front of a man. You don't even dare to take a swing. Instead you stalk her at work where you thought I wouldn't be. Things have changed this time around, Dolph. It's not like five years ago where I don't know everything about what you're trying to do. This time I'm here, and you won't get near her again. Ever!"

He gave Dolph a hard push, and he fell on his ass.

"Now fuck off, bastard!" Roman sneered.

Dolph jumped to his feet and ran away fast. Roman walked inside where Iris had walked around to the other side of the counter. She fell into his arms and held on tight as she started crying.

"Thank you," she whispered.  
"It's my job as your boyfriend," he wiped her eyes. "Don't cry, princess. He's not worth it."  
"He's gonna come back," she said.  
"But you won't be here," he said.  
"I won't?" She asked.

He tucked her hair behind her ears and gave her a warm smile. He really loved this woman with all his heart. Five years apart hadn't killed those feelings.

"We need a secretary. The job is yours if you want it," he said.  
"Just like that?" She asked.  
"Well, it comes with a price. You see, you have to sleep with one of the bosses, but he's sexy as hell, so you'll love it," he said.

She let out a loud laugh that had everyone around them raise their head from the books. She bit her lip to kill her laughter, and then smiled at him.

"Is he gonna bend me over the table at work too?" She asked lowly.  
"Only on days where Dean is sick because we only got that open office as I'm sure you remember," he answered.  
"I had to ask," she winked. "Let me go talk to my boss. I hate leaving her high and dry like this, but it has to be done. I don't wanna go back. I don't wanna be stuck in the past anymore. I wanna be with you. I wanna be happy again like I was five years ago. You make me happy, Roman."

Dean grinned at them as they entered the office hand in hand.

"I see it went well," he said.  
"Hi Dean," she said. "So what do I do around here?"  
"Answer the phone, talk to customers when we're busy, make coffee, run errands, give us your creative input when we're stuck," Dean looked at Roman. "Is that about it?"  
"Give or take," Roman said.

She walked over to the table where Dean was, and looked at the design in front of him on the computer screen. It was that Egyptian inspired gazebo Roman had talked about.

"Wow," she said. "That's amazing."  
"I hope the customer will like it too," Dean said.  
"He'll love it," she assured him.  
"Anything you wanna add? I'm kinda stuck, and something's missing," Dean said.  
"We've been staring ourselves blind all morning on it," Roman added.  
"The colour," she said. "You've made it too yellow. Go more sand for a more authentic look."

He clicked around in the program, and soon the right colour was on.

"She's right. She's fucking right, Roman," he said.  
"Do I get a raise already then?" She chuckled.  
"No, but you'll get a special bonus later at home," Roman kissed her temple. "Now get your cute ass to work and make coffee. I know Dean has already emptied the pot."  
"Guilty," Dean smirked. "But we really should run out for that good coffee. I know it's our morning ritual, but we can break the rules this once. I'll go. What is your poison, Iris?"  
"Salted caramel latte," she said.  
"I'll get that," Dean said.

He was out of the door five seconds later. Roman pulled her close and kissed her.

"We got five minutes. Or ten if there's a long line," he said.  
"So no time to bend me over the table?" She asked.  
"God damn it!" He laughed. "You better not start working in mini skirts, or we're gonna have a problem around here."  
"Would you complain?" She smirked.  
"Fuck, no!" He grinned. "But I'll scare away the customers if I run around with a constant boner."


End file.
